Bourbon & Beyond 2026 - Line 5 (Charley Crockett, 4 Non Blondes, Portugal. The Man, Gary Clark, Jr., Joan Jett and the Blackhearts)

Charley Crockett

One Liner: The ten dollar cowboy with a ton of soul and a heavy schtick 
Wikipedia Genre: country, blues, southern soul, Americana
Home: San Benito, Texas
Day: Saturday

Thoughts: I have written about Crockett a few times, although I think I have only seen him the one time at Two Step.  He's been at ACL twice before that Two Step appearance, so I could have seen him previously, I just don't recall.  Here was my 2023 writeup.  If you like country music, and you like the classic style of country music, then you are going to like this guy.  If I recall correctly, Brandi Gitcho believes that he is full of shit.  ;)

4 Non Blondes

One Liner: That damn "I said HEY! what's GOING ONNNNN!" song
Wikipedia Genre: alternative rock
Home: San Francisco
Day: Thursday

Thoughts:  I saw these weirdos at La Zona Rosa in Austin about a million years ago, with Blues Traveler (although I can't recall who opened).  At the time, I am sure that I thought their single hit was a great song, but I can't really take it by now.  A shocking number of streams - 1.3 BILLION streams for "What's Up?"

I had entirely forgotten about that hair.  Good gravy.  In a strange development, at least to me, that was their only album.  I figured that I would open up their Spotify and see a bunch of crappy albums that have been farting out over the years without any reaction.  But nope.  Just the 1992 album with that song.  Which is kind of nice, because I just listened to it once and it hurt my head.  She's just way too intense of a singer.  So intense.

The lead singer, Linda Perry, left the band in 1994, leading to it disbanding.  But since then, she's become an A-list songwriter and producer, doing work for Christina Aguilera, Pink!, Gwen Stefani, Adele, Alicia Keys, and Courtney Love.  Her song for Pink! was "Get The Party Started," so she knew what she was doing.  She later had a VH1 show about up and coming musicians, was introduced into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame, and has several music labels of her own.  But I guess the rest of the band got hungry and so they are back together to smear us with more of this stuff.

Portugal. The Man.

One Liner: Really great studio rock band with some major hits, who has disappointed me live before 
Wikipedia Genre: alternative rock, psychedelic rock, psychedelic pop, experimental rock, indie rock
Home: Portland, OR
Day: Sunday 

Thoughts:  Portugal. The Man was last at ACL in 2023 (Headliner level, too!), and my review for them included notes from the prior time I had seen them.  My review of the actual show was thus: "I was really excited for this set.  I really enjoy their studio tunes.  The last two times I have seen them the sound was awful and I was disappointed.  Guess what?  That must just be the way they sound live.  I don't understand it at all, but the sound is muddy and unbalanced and it sort of crushed me.  Really too bad.  But now having seen them three times, at different stages, and if they always sound that way then it must be on purpose.  Bummer."

So, of course, they have released a new 2025 album that I am really enjoying.  SHISH, as with their prior stuff, has some freaking weird-as hell bits, but overall is a very fun rock and roll disc.  The first song comes in with some really sweet riffage over the top of a drum machine beat and it just makes me want to boogie.  But then the next song is a scream-fest that I don't love.  "Knik" sounds like a Weezer song, in all the right ways, with a pound of riffs and goofy ass soloing.

"Feel It Still" is definitely still their top song with 1.6 BILLION streams.  That is a wild stream count.  You can go find that video on my old post, so I will give you something new.  This is the top streamer so far from the new album.  "Tanana" with 2.4 million streams.

Looking like some Spies Like Us footage, if only the nice Russian lady (ladies?) could have come along to comfort these fellows.  Nice little tune.  I think some of the other ones on this new disc are better because they go harder.

As for whether I would go watch the show?  Man, I don't know.  Fool me three times, you would think I would learn and say hell no.  But then I think about seeing these songs played live and my heart tugs.  Like, "Mush" from this new disc, is very danceable and ridiculous rock and roll that seems like it would be a blast to wiggle around to.

Gary Clark Jr.

One Liner: Current guitar God, Austin High Maroon, and savior of Austin music 
Wikipedia Genre: Blue rock, hard rock, soul, R&B
Home: Austin, Texas
Day: Thursday 

Thoughts: Hell yeah.  A guitar god just chilling out on the 5th line of this poster.  Like some of the others here, I have already written a good bit about my fellow Austin High Maroon.  If you have never seen him live, it is really great - his guitarwork is out of this world.  I've seen him twice at ACL and then once at a show that was very falsely advertised as being a Dixie Chicks concert where they helped him on two songs but otherwise it was just GC melting faces.

The guy has four Grammys.  He had a Day named after him in Austin when he was only 17.  he's married to an Australian model.  "This Land" was apparently a legit thing where some dickhole neighbor to his ranch was threatening him about trespassing.  He puts his money back into Austin with ownership of Antone's and a music studio.  All around good dude and a great musician to boot.

Joan Jett & the Blackhearts

One Liner: The Godmother of Punk 
Wikipedia Genre: rock, hard rock, punk rock
Home: Philly (and then Rockville, Maryland, and then Los Angeles)
Day: Thursday 

Thoughts:  My worry with people like this is that she 67 years old.  Is she really still going to be able to bring the thunder?  I'll have to check some recent concert footage.  

Real name is Joan Marie Larkin, called the Godmother of Punk, Rolling Stone has twice named her in their top 100 Guitarists of All Time list, she was part of The Runaways in the mid 70's, and after they broke up she went solo.  Her original solo album was apparently rejected 23 times, and now she can brag that she is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Loads of hits you would recognize - "I Love Rock and Roll," "Bad Reputation," "I Hate Myself for Loving You," her cover of "Crimson & Clover," etc.  I have to say, I never was very into her.  I am listening to her first album now, which had the mega hit "I Love Rock and Roll," and while I can recognize that song's station in the pantheon of rock and roll, this album isn't doing much for me.  It is fine, but I think generations of other bands have made this sort of thing sound much better since 1981.

Here is a version of the biggest hit, live, from August 2025.  Voice still works, but I don't guess it was ever the selling point.  Some other dude is doing the solo work, she's just pumping up the crowd and playing the basic riffs.  

But yeah, she can still do the thing.  I sort of doubt that this show would be a priority for me, but we will see how the schedule shakes out.